


The Memories We Made Together

by KaijinKyn



Category: Hatoful Kareshi | Hatoful Boyfriend
Genre: Bird/Human Hybrids, Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Memories, Outer Space, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-10-07 07:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10355220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaijinKyn/pseuds/KaijinKyn
Summary: “...Do you remember the events of the Holiday Star?”“...Fire. Something burnt. Something important.” The King replied, his voice quiet as he tried to recall the memories, eyes squeezed tight in thought. “They… They ruined it. My kingdom. That dove and his friends - the human and the fantails and the other dove and the partridge and- andhim.” He wasn’t really upset about it anymore. The memories had faded and so had his feelings on the matter, but he recalled how hehadfelt, like a painful scar. He’d been so scared… So upset, soangry- where had that all gone? Had it drifted into the stars, like his memories?...He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this one is a gift for a friend!! writing this made me wonder what kind of relationship kazoo and ryuuji would have had if they were still alive, haha

“C’mon, your majesty! Keep up!” The King groaned, bending over to put a talon on a knee, the other moving to make sure his crude crown stayed in it's place on his head. He was so tired… Couldn't the other bird relax a little? He didn’t even know where they were trying to get to.

Weren't they supposed to be in space? Why were there _hills_ in _space_?

“S-Slow down!” He called back, huffing in exhaustion as he struggled to follow the migrant ahead of him, actually resorting to gripping at the silver grass beneath his feet with his talons, clambering up the steepest part of the hill on all fours.

Almost instantly upon reaching the top he flopped down to the grass beneath, face buried among tickling stems as he took a moment to catch his breath. He couldn't remember the last time he’d done so much exercise… Certainly never when he was king of the Holiday Star.

“You ‘lright?” The migrant asked him from above, the other being standing over him. The King pushed himself onto his knees with a noise of exhaustion, looking up tearfully at the rock dove.

“Noooo… Why’d we just do that? We already walk everywhere already, why don’t we just catch the traaain?” The King whined, rubbing at his eye with the back of his talon with a sniff.

“Come look!!” The migrant extended a talon to The King, who glared at it weakly for a second before sighing and letting the taller bird help him up, the quail dusting off his knees afterwards. The migrant had already run off a little ways ahead, the smile on his face wide. The sight made The King frown, bad memories resurfacing. The quail remembered when he used to smile like that… When he was happy. When he was alive.

“Mmn…” Sniffling, The King trudged over to join the migrant’s side, looking up at him sourly. “Well?? Why are we here?”

“Look!”

“What? There's nothing out ther-” The migrant has gestured _outward_ , over the edge of the hill and beyond. The King had only looked to satisfy him - there was nothing to _see_ in space, the emptiness was boring, you never met anyone else…

But beneath them, sprawled out under the cliff of their silvery hill like a river was thousands of glittering, colourful stars, travelling into the distant sky and beyond. The King felt his mouth fall open and his eyes widen, leaning forward slightly in amazement.

“Wow…! It's so pretty!!”

“I know, right?” The migrant replied, his talons on his hips and that wide grin still on his face - until he noticed The King leaning, expression shifting into worry. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Watch out, your majesty!” Snagging The King’s arm before he could plummet off the edge of the cliff, the migrant pulled The King into his chest, looking down at the other with worry. “Are you okay? You should be more careful!”

“Y-Yes, thank you...” Face flushed, The King pulled himself apart from the migrant with a small huff, wrapping his arms around his own body and holding onto his forearms gently, stepping away from the other with his head downcast. It felt… Strange, to be so close to another bird after all this time. He didn’t like it, not when one of the last things he remembered was the warmth of another leaving his side.

The migrant was looking at him sadly, a fragile smile on his face. He was like how The King used to be - clingy, hungry for physical contact, though he didn't like to show it.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have grabbed you like that.” He bowed to The King, bending to make himself shorter than the admittedly pretty short quail. The King made a noise of discomfort and shook his head, blond locks swishing about his face softly.

“You don’t have to bow to me, Mr. Migrant.” He wasn’t much of a king anymore - he kept the cape and the crown because it was all he had left, but there wasn’t much point to them. Once, the cape had been a brilliant red, but years of living as what he had been had dulled the colours to the same shade of grey everything else The King owned now was. Perhaps that was for the best, however… The cape hadn’t exactly been The King’s favourite item in the world. It had once belonged to _him_ , after all.

“It’s only respectful, your majesty! C’mon, let’s sit.” The migrant sat on the ground without much fanfare, landing on the grass and stretching his arms over his head with a yawn. Frowning, The King knelt beside the other gently, wrapping his cape around him and fiddling with the fabric as they both looked over the beautiful sight together, twisting it between his claws.

“It’s just… I’m not really The King at this point. I don’t know who I am.” The migrant looked over at him curiously, sitting up properly to shrug his shoulders with a bright smile.

“That’s okay! It just means we’re getting close to the end of our journey! Though, the name is often the first thing we lose when we reach the skies. That’s why I’m the migrant - and you’re the king!” The King bit his lip, eyes drifting downwards towards the silvery grass beneath. The end of their journey…

“We’re going to fall back down to earth soon, right? I don’t- I don’t want to. I don’t...”

“Still?” The King nodded, feeling tears already beginning to form. Just thinking about it… It hurt, it hurt to remember, his feelings were like someone had tied everything into a knot and the only way to fix things would be to cut them apart. He’d hated living before and he’d hate living again, he knew it, he _knew it_ \- “Ah, don’t cry…” A talon on his shoulder grounded him, though he shrugged the other off almost immediately, sniffling and wiping his nose with his cape. Even now, he was so pathetic…

“Why can’t we stay up here forever?? It’s nicer… Even if it is lonely…” The migrant looked at him for a moment, his expression contemplative before he eventually spoke.

“Do you remember your followers, your majesty?” The King shook his head, wiping away tears with a talon. His followers… The word brought vague memories, shadowy outlines of birds he’d once known, but he couldn’t for the life of him remember their faces. But they had been so happy...

“Mmn… No, I- I can’t.”

“Exactly. Those kids - they fell a long time ago. We forget them so that we can move on and be happy in our next lives. They’ve forgotten about us too, of course. Though I suppose if I still remember and you don’t then you must be closer to falling than me.” The King took a moment to think about that, his chin on his knees, eventually turning his head to give the migrant a curious look.

“That doesn’t really make sense to me. We travel the night sky to release all our memories - our happy and our bad ones, right? But bad memories are harder to let go of, I suppose… So why would you need more time than me, when all you seem to have is happiness?” The migrant stared at him for a moment, surprise written on his face - perhaps he hadn’t expected The King to figure that out. “I’m not stupid, Mr. Migrant.”

“Ah, I wasn’t thinking you were, your majesty.” The migrant waved a talon, turning his head to look back out over the sea of stars, his expression strangely dulled. “I guess there’s a lot I haven’t told you, huh?” There was a long silence after that. The King shifted, the atmosphere uncomfortable - but the migrant looked deep in thought, like he was on the verge of saying something and The King didn’t want to interrupt him. “...Do you remember the events of the Holiday Star?”

“...Fire. Something burnt. Something important.” The King replied, his voice quiet as he tried to recall the memories, eyes squeezed tight in thought. “They… They ruined it. My kingdom. That dove and his friends - the human and the fantails and the other dove and the partridge and- and _him_.” He wasn’t really upset about it anymore. The memories had faded and so had his feelings on the matter, but he recalled how he _had_ felt, like a painful scar. He’d been so scared… So upset, so _angry_ \- where had that all gone? Had it drifted into the stars, like his memories?

...He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

“Mm. Recall anything else about that partridge you mentioned?”

“He was killing birds... I think?”

“Typical.” The migrant rolled his eyes, an almost nostalgic smile to his face - but it wasn’t a _good_ smile, like a friendly-exasperated kind of look. He was visibly angry at… Something or someone; if The King had to guess it was whoever this bird they were talking about was.

“Did you know him?”

“Ha. I more than knew him, your majesty. We were work partners - friends, perhaps, though he’d never admit it. ...He was always kind of a weird kid. I thought if I was nice to him he’d smooth out, be a little bit more sociable and friendly.” The migrant laughed and it sent shivers down The King’s spine, the noise neither cheerful nor friendly. It was the sad, sad noise of a bird who had lost something dear to him and had broken as a result. “And then I died.”

“...I’m sorry-”

“It’s not your fault, you weren’t even there.” The migrant shook his head and The King pretended not to notice the water on the other’s face. The quail had nothing to offer him in comfort. “It ruined him, I suppose. He became someone… I couldn’t recognise anymore.” The King was silent in response, sadly watching his companion stare out over the stars, the other’s red eyes dripping tears. “...I should apologise. He was the reason all of this happened. You’re dead because I died-”

“That- Stop it.” The King warbled, his voice unsteady with his own emotion but strong enough to cut off the migrant, who looked over at him in relative shock at his outburst. “You don't know that.”

“Yes I do- He killed so many people, your majesty. If he hadn't done what he did, you wouldn't have- your friend wouldn't have-”

“ _Hitori is not my friend._ ” For a moment, both birds were silent, staring at each other in surprise. The King turned away first, looking down mournfully over the edge of the cliff and digging his claws into his own arm. “He was never… My friend. He used me. That was all.”

“It was Isa’s fault-”

“It was _my_ fault.” The King stressed, feeling the tears running down his face before he even knew he was crying. “If I hadn’t been so weak… Maybe if I’d been a little happier with who I was, I wouldn’t have died- I wouldn’t have _wanted_ to die.” Still looking away from the other, fearful of his response - he had never told the other that he’d _yearned_ for the fate that he got, despite complaining - The King was surprised at the feeling of a talon over his own, turning his head slightly to look at the now much closer migrant, who gave him a still-watery but strong smile.

“You didn’t deserve that, your majesty. There are so many things to do on earth - not even I got around to them all. When you fall back down to Earth, make the most of your time, okay? I’ll be joining you soon after.” The King glanced down at their talons, the migrant’s overlapping his own - and just as the other went to move away, an apology on his lips, The King leant to the side so he could rest his head on the taller bird’s shoulder, eyes closed.

“Thank you, Mr. Migrant. I’ll do my best.”

 

* * *

 

_“This is the end of the world, and it belongs to you and me alone.”_

_“A-agh… I don’t… want to die…! I’m scared… I’m scared! I don’t… Why are you doing this to me…!?”_

_“You wished for death. And I helped you to it._

_That’s all there is to say.”_


End file.
